8-4 Play

Every other week, tune into 8-4 Play for talk about video games, Japan, and Japanese video games, straight from the 8-4 offices in beautiful downtown Tokyo. Hosted by 1UP Japan's own Mark MacDonald, John Ricciardi, and Hiroko Minamoto.

8-4 Play 4/06/2012: KICKSTART MY HEART

We offer the following rewards to people who help listen to our podcast: PLEDGE 20 MINUTES OR MORE: Talk about creating characters in Phantasy Star Online 2, more Kid Icarus and Lumines, and the WiiU's (supposed) capabilities 40 MINUTES: Kickstarter game projects, good and bad 60 MINUTES: Notch's ambitious sci-fi crazy-name game, 0x10c 70 MINUTES: Sega's money problems and retro re-releases, Vita updates, and bronze-colored finger puppets of the cast.* (*Actually, no.)

(64.1 MB) - Length: 1:51:50

8-4 Play 3/23/2012: SICK R US

With Gaming Jesus bedridden from an evil GDC pox and both JJ and Hiroko fighting off the flu, we thought about taking the week off. But then, like an angel from Heaven above, our intern showed up at the door with three pre-release copies of Kid Icarus: Uprising, and all the pain and suffering went away. Listen to a half hour's worth of spoiler-free discussion on the 3DS's first major release of 2012, along with follow-up thoughts on Journey (also spoiler-free!), quick impressions of PixelJunk 4AM and Lollipop Chainsaw, some scattershot news and GDC thoughts, and more talk from Hiroko than you've heard in the last 10 episodes combined.

(49.1 MB) - Length: 1:25:39

8-4 Play 3/9/2012: JOURNEY TO VITA HEAVEN

Internet sensation David "CheapyD" Abrams returns to the show for a truly rare event: we actually played some games! Tune in to the first segment for impressions of Journey, Asura's Wrath, Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, and Level-5's Girls RPG, plus thoughts on the new iPad, Valve's rumored (and then debunked) "SteamBox" console, Phil Fish and Keiji Inafune's feelings about Japanese games, and more. Then stick around for the second segment for a quick burst of fresh-from-YouTube commentary on Sony's "PS Vita Game Heaven" video barrage! (One word: PSO2!)

(63.1 MB) - Length: 1:50:10

8-4 Play 2/24/2012: BLOCK DROPPIN' BEATS

Join us for a little boom-tiss-boom, as James "Milkman" Mielke of Q Entertainment visits 8-4 Towers to go deep (so deep) into the creation of PS Vita launch title Lumines: Electronic Symphony. But first, a game-by-game dissection of the U.S. and Japanese Nintendo Direct conferences, and updates on PS3 faves The Last Guardian and (most importantly) Tokyo Jungle, all in news. Wrap it all up with fresh hands-on Gravity Daze/Rush impressions and you got yourself a show, mister!

(84.7 MB) - Length: 2:27:48

8-4 Play 2/10/2012: ROCK, PAPER, VITA

It's crunch-time at 8-4 Towers, so there's no time for your fancy podcast prep work! Listen for even offer-the-cuff-than-usual chit-chat on Vita's U.S. launch lineup (and our Vita giveaway contest winner), the new Suikoden game for PSP, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Denpa Ningen RPG for 3DS, Double Fine's adventure game kickstarter, and.uh..#$%^ it, we'll do it live!

(46.4 MB) - Length: 1:21:00

8-4 Play 1/27/2012: INDUSTRY SOURCES

THRILL! As the 8-4 crew gets caught up in a rad bromance with the new Resident Evil 6 trailer, and make hands-on revelaitons re: the latest RE on 3DS. LISTEN! To chatter of new Wii U features, rumors of the neXtBox, and other tender newsy morsels. EXCITE! To more Vita game impressions, as well as the details of our amazing giveaway contest <<

(95.6 MB) - Length: 2:39:20

8-4 Play 1/13/2012: ALL THAT J*ZZ

Why try out games and form your own opinions when you can sit back and let the 8-4-some do it for you? This episode the newly-reunited gang takes on the (Press up!) new Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Asura's Wrath demos (Right, RIGHT!), sparking a lively debate on quicktime (Tap 'A' repea-ALRIGHT ENOUGH!) events that pops up outta nowhere like.you know what. Speaking of outta nowhere: Wut up with that 3DS stand that comes included with Kid Icarus: Uprising? Plus the Independent Games Festival finalists, Yu Suzuki, avatar tattoos, and speculation on redesigned 3DS hardware and next-gen timing for Sony and Microsoft. (Hit 'Download'!)

(50.3 MB) - Length: 1:27:42

8-4 Play 12/30/2011: HAPPY NEWS YEAR SPECIAL

Ready for those boring ol' holidays to turn into crazy-awesome holiDAZE? ...No? ...Wait--Did you notice there was a "z" on the end? ...Well the point is you should listen to this 8-4 podcast, with talk about 3DS & Vita sales numbers and what they mean (and don't mean), Gravity Rush, Uncharted, and Hot Shots Golf (all Vita), 3DS Swapnote and new demos for Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid 3D, and Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, plus Kiki Trick for Wii, the Zelda timeline, Mario 64 speedruns, and more.

Christmas comes early as special guests CheapyD and...others...join the 8-4 crew to discuss the new PlayStation Vita, top to bottom: the launch, the games (including Uncharted, Ridge Racer, Hot Shots Golf and more), the mem cards, remote play, PSP backwards compatibility - every mother-father thing you can think of, from the feel of the flaps that cover the card slots to the menu music. Then! We shift gears to go deep, so deep, so deep into Monster Hunter 3G we put Qurupeco's butt to sleep. You listen now, Joe!

(137.6 MB) - Length: 4:00:23

8-4 PLAY 12/9/2011: S***LOAD OF HATS

Is Miyamoto stepping down at Nintendo? Did Ueda quit Sony? What's going on with the Vita?! What games will be revealed at that Spikey awards show thing?!? Why worry about such questions when you can listen to the 8-4 gang fret about them for almost 3 hours! Also: Infinity Blade 2, Mario Kart 7, more (yes more, dammit!) Skyrim and Uncharted 3, Pushmo for 3DSware, firmware updates for the 3DS, 360, and PS3, and more newsy news.

(95.7 MB) - Length: 2:47:01

8-4 PLAY 11/24/2011: SKYRIM-WARDLOFT SWORD...ERS

Question: Which game should you be playing right now, Skyrim or Zelda: Skyward Sword? Answer: Yes. Honestly, that's all you need to know, but the 8-4 crew prattles on anyway in a spoiler-free discussion of the glorious highs and bowel-quaking lows (OK, more like the minor annoyances) of two of this year's best games, then chit-chat (read: rage) about Sony's PSP UMD-to-Vita transfer program, rumors about the next Xbox, and online buzz on the future of Metal Gear in news.

(84.7 MB) - Length: 2:21:13

8-4 PLAY 11/10/2011: HOOKED ON THE BROTHERS

You'll have to think fast and move even faster to complete this podcast! Gaming Jesus is being held captive by the evil Koopa tribe of turtles. It's up to you to rescue him from the clutches of the Koopa King before time runs out. But it won't be easy. To get there, you'll have to listen to detailed impressions of Super Mario 3D Land, plus chatter about Uncharted 3, Wii U, the future of the 3DS, controller patents, and some late-breaking info about Robin Hood and where babies come from.

8-4 Play 10/14/2011: GAPING DRAGONS AND GREEN GLOWING BREASTS

PRAISE THE SUN! Dark Souls has been consuming most of our lives, but we do manage to eventually break away from talking about it to discuss other recent happenings, including Square Enix's surprise retooling of Final Fantasy XIV, Sega's XBLA remake of Guardian Heroes, and Capcom's limited edition Monster Hunter 3DS. Plus: hands-on impressions of Robot Invader's Wind-Up Knight, ears-on impressions of the 25th anniversary Zelda Symphony orchestra concert, listener feedback, and more!

(49.3 MB) - Length: 1:25:56

8-4 Play 9/30/2011: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHIN'

With Mark out of town on business and Tokyo Game Show now behind us, life at 8-4 Towers has been pretty quiet lately. But that's no excuse not to record a podcast! ...OK, actually, it kind of is, but we went ahead and recorded one anyway! Tune in to hear us talk about Dark Souls, Zelda: Four Swords 25th Anniversary Edition, the Diablo III beta, porntips from Thailand (not what you think!), "Lucky Lassi" Monster Hunter drinks from Family Mart (...probably what you think), and plenty more.

(44.4 MB) - Length: 1:17:34

8-4 Play 9/16/2011: TOKYO GAME SHOW 2011

Shane Bettenhausen! Ryan Payton! Billy Berghammer! We've got special guests up the wazoo here at the 8-4 Towers to celebrate 8-4 Play's first anniversary (yay!) and to help us break down the 2011 Tokyo Game Show. Tune in for hands- (and/or eyes-) on impressions of all the big games, including the PlayStation Vita launch lineup, Binary Domain, Phantasy Star Online 2, Anarchy Reigns, Soul Calibur 5, the 3DS "Frankenstick" right stick add-on, and more. And when you're done, be sure to head over to Shacknews.com to pick up the second half of our big discussion with Garnett Lee on this week's Weekend Confirmed.

(56.9 MB) - Length: 1:39:15

8-4 Play 9/14/2011: 3DS vs. VITA: FIGHT!

Freshly-unemployed Internet sensation Shane Bettenhausen joins us as we kick off TGS week with a blow-by-blow breakdown of the big two pre-show press conferences - Nintendo's Frankenstick-free Monster Hunter megathon and Sony's 94% gameplay-free Vita launch bonanza. Tune in for an hour-long preview of what's to come, and then check back Friday for our monster Tokyo Game Show/8-4 Play 1-year-Anniversary special crossover with Weekend Confirmed's Garnett Lee.

(41.7 MB) - Length: 1:12:40

8-4 Play 9/9/2011: FRANKENSTICK MEETS THE SLIME KNIGHT

And the megatons fall like rain: Dragon Quest X revealed as a massively-multiplayer online game for Wii and Wii U. :BWAAAH: Monster Hunter coming to the 3DS -- and with "monstrous" right-stick add-on, no less. :BWAAAH: Who better to join us in the fallout shelter than a man in the news himself, Kojima Productions vet Ryan Payton, who left Microsoft to go indie and to talk with us about 3DS vs. Vita, PS3 HD Remasters, Soul Bladder, the looming Tokyo Game Show, and more? So grab your totem and :BWAAAH:

(100.7 MB) - Length: 2:55:48

8-4 Play 8/30/2011: MAY CONTAIN SCENES OF EXPLICIT VIOLENCE AND GORE

You could just listen to the 8-4 crew talk 3DS rumors, PS3 and Vita announcements, MHP3rdHD, DOTA2 and Street Fighter IV as eSports, games that will hit and miss the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and the Valve / EA / Activision shit-talkin' express and then just call it a day. Perfectly acceptable. But if you want the real, secret, best ending to the podcast, bust out some healing herb and stick around as Resident-Evil-superfan Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joins us in the second half for part 1 of our long-awaited, quote-laden celebration of the seminal survival horror franchise's 15th anniversary.

(120 MB) - Length: 2:54:46

8-4 Play 8/12/2011: ALL NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

In which our heroes discuss: Armored Core V and Dark Souls pushed back, Xenoblade Chronicles moved up, PlayStation Vita coming right on time (sorta), 3DS sales rising (used), 3DS sales falling (new), 3DS sales rising again (post-price drop), addiction to EVO streams, ham withdrawal, what's good about Peter Moore, what's bad about Skyrim, who and what will and won't be at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and pictures of your Love Plus girlfriend in her santa outfit.

(71.2 MB) - Length: 1:43:38

8-4 Play 7/29/2011: $169.99

Yes, we eventually talk about Rhythm Heaven for the Wii, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Groove Coaster, From Dust, Phantasy Star Online 2, Irem's apparent demise, Mega Man Legends 3's definite demise and so on, but mostly this episode is all about Nintendo's embattled 3DS handheld and just about every aspect of the news surrounding its upcoming price drop, complete with color commentary from discount-expert Mr. CheapyD of CheapAssGamer.com fame.

(60.7 MB) - Length: 1:28:16

8-4 Play 7/15/2011: ¬°QUE MAGNIFICO!

Played Shadows of the Damned? You should! Why? 1) Read the reviews, it‚??s a great game! 2) We here at 8-4 worked on it! 3) Oh yeah, so did some other guys, Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami. 4) You will enjoy this podcast a helluvalot more, since we discuss the soundtrack with legendary game musician Akira Yamaoka and talk shop about creating the script. When you tire of our self-congratulatory nonsense, there‚??s plenty more chit-chat about Xenoblade, PS4 motion controls, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasies XIII-2 and Theatrhythm, and more. Do me, do m-er, do it!

(86.7 MB) - Length: 2:31:20

8-4 Play 7/1/2011: TOO HOT FOR TV

Frankly, it's too damn hot in Tokyo to spend much energy writing up a fancy description of our latest episode, so let's just cut the crap, OK? We talk about Operation Rainfall's attempt to bring Wii JRPGs to the West, Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D save file-gate, Journey (the game and the band), Wii U, famed game director Yasumi Matsuno moving to developer Level-5, yadda yadda yadda. Get it? Got it? Good.

(82.5 MB) - Length: 2:00:02

8-4 Play 6/17/2011: CHILD OF MIZUGUCHI

Child of Eden is finally out, and who better to discuss it with than Q Entertainment's own James "Milkman" Mielke? Fresh from LA, the former EGM editor-in-chief and 1up.com superstar joins us as we talk about Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest opus, the big three's E3 press conferences, hands-on impressions of Wii U and PS Vita, and more. Hosted by internet celebrity and 8-4 superfriend David "CheapyD" Abrams of CheapAssGamer.com!

(94.2 MB) - Length: 2:17:15

8-4 Play 6/3/2011: E3 COMETH

E3 is almost here! Join us for one last round of rumor-mongering and baseless speculation on what'll go down at next week's big event. Former 8-4 intern and Resident Evil superfan Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joins us to talk about Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Kojima Productions' pre-E3 announcements, the merits (or lack thereof?) of calling your handheld "Vita," and our very own E3 predictions.

(104.4 MB) - Length: 2:12:59

8-4 Play 5/23/2011: PRE-PRE-E3 SPECIAL

With E3 approaching quick, the 8-4 crew are buried in all manner of pre-expo prep work -- they've hardly had time to think about any other of them vidja games, much less play them. But when has that ever stopped them from talking about them?! Tune in for thoughts -- and maybe a feeling or two -- about PSN's revival (outside of Japan), Namco's new Soul Calibur game and Tekken movie, Modern Warfare's leaks, Square Enix's financial woes, Love Plus's boyfriend lock, PLUS: Download now and get a brand new, fresh-from-the-oven 25-minute bonus segment discussing Sony's "PSP Remaster" series!

(98.1 MB) - Length: 2:22:43

8-4 Play 5/6/2011: WII 2, PSN 0

Bin Laden is dead. The galaxy is at peace. What better way to celebrate than with 8-4 Play and a ton more talk about Nintendo's Wii successor and Sony's ongoing PSN woes? To help brief us on the latest intel, we called in former US Navy Seals Shane "Bill Rizer" Bettenhausen and Evan "Lance Bean" Shamoon, who also share thoughts on Portal 2, the new Sony tablets, El Shaddai, and Sonic's legitimacy (or lack thereof?).

8-4 Play 4/8/2011: POWER TO THE PEOPLE

In this very special episode of 8-4 Play, we recap our live-to-tape hosting of the Grasstream2 Japanese tsunami relief charity event, put on by the good people at famed developer Grasshopper Manufacture. You will (hopefully) laugh, you will (probably) cry, and in the end, you might just learn something -- about Pandora‚??s Tower, Hip Tanaka, Yakuza of the End, and how you (yes, you!) can help Japan recover via gaming. Let‚??s listening!

(68.6 MB) - Length: 1:39:46

8-4 Play 3/25/2011: AFTER THE QUAKE

A lot has happened in the four weeks since our last episode. The Game Developer's Conference came and went, Charlie Sheen jumped the tiger-shark (-blood...or whatever), Winter gave way to Spring, and the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history rocked our tiny island home. But the show must go on, as they say, and so the 8-4 five are back in action with personal quake stories, first-month 3DS reflections, early thoughts on Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, the month in news, and more.

(75.9 MB) - Length: 1:50:24

8-4 Play 2/26/2011: NINTENDO 3DS LAUNCH SPECIAL

The Nintendo 3DS is out in Japan, and the 8-4 crew is back from launch morning chaos with a pile of brand new 3DS gear and a bevy of special guests ready to give hands-on impressions, including Brad Douglas of Sony (shock!) and Che Chou of Microsoft (awe!). Tune in for first thoughts on the hardware, the games, the 3D camera, the AR cards, and much, much more.

8-4 Play 1/28/2011: BY THE POWER OF THE PSP2

PSP2...NGP...whatever you want to call it, Sony's new handheld has the gaming world in a tizzy, and we've got just the thing to satisfy your next-generation portable cravings: two hours of hardcore, hands-on impressions fresh from Sony's PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Tokyo. Matt Leone of 1UP, Phil Kollar from Game Informer, and podcast phenom Shane "El Shaddai" Bettenhausen join the 8-4 crew for a heated rundown of the games, the hardware, predictions for the future, and much, much more.

(83.8 MB) - Length: 2:01:55

8-4 Play 1/13/2011: 8-4 Play 1/14/2011: NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 6

Live in Tokyo, do you? And you attended Nintendo's recent 3DS event? ...So you know everything there is to know about the upcoming glasses-free 3D handheld? Fine then, don't listen to this podcast. The rest of us will tune in to hear the 8-4 crew's full report on Nintendo World 2011, including first-hand impressions of playable games like Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, Resident Evil, etc. and thoughts on the launch lineup, bundled software, battery life, stage shows, ceiling Miyamoto, glory holes -- even the friggin' Virtual Boy fer cryin' out loud.

(93.3 MB) - Length: 2:15:42

8-4 Play 1/6/2011: SURRENDER! OR I WILL CONQUER YOU!!

After an extended holiday break filled with snow, sake, and SASUKE! (look it up), the 8-4some is back and they got some 'splainin' to do! (:LAUGHTER:) Good thing former EGM and Turn 10 hipster Che "China Warrior" Chou joins in to talk iPhone game shame, his personal wall of give a s*** -- basically ANYTHING but his current workplace (Microsoft's 343 Industries) and their shadowy Halo project. Come for the New Year's cards, stay to hear what a former Forza guy thinks of Gran Turismo 5 (oh no he de-ent!). (:LAUGHTER:)

(59.8 MB) - Length: 1:27:02

8-4 Play 12/10/2010: JUMP THE SHARQ

Let's make this perfectly clear: Like Kinect, sauerkraut, and inverted controls, this special holiday episode of 8-4 Play is not for everyone. How can you know? Take our simple quiz: 1. Do you enjoy Monster Hunter? 2. Are you curious about Monster Hunter? 3. Would you like to hear almost two hours of talk about one of Japan's biggest gaming franchises in the last decade? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, enjoy. If not, please listen to an older episode again and let's just forget this ever happened.

(74.9 MB) - Length: 1:48:58

8-4 Play 11/26/2010: MERRY THANKSGIVING GET!

In Tokyo, the holiday season brings a mix of imported Western traditions and uniquely Japanese flavors (Google "Japan KFC Christmas" if you don't know what we mean), so that's exactly what this T-day episode of 8-4 Play delivers. A rundown on the best Black Friday gaming deals one minute, a detailed explanation of table-flipping arcade title Cho-Chabudai Gaeshi the next. Hardcore Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and Tactics Ogre talk here, ultra-casual Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood chat there. As special guest CheapyD of cheapassgamer.com would say: "There you go!"

(87.2 MB) - Length: 2:06:58

8-4 Play 11/12/2010: JACK IT TO HARD

The 8-4 crew's too busy working on next year's games to have much time for this year's offerings, so they called in intern Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel to help discuss everything they wish they were playing (but mostly aren't).Tune in for baseless, uninformed talk about Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kinect, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Vanquish, 25th Anniversary Super Mario Bros., and (as required by law) Call of Duty: Black Ops, not to mention the usual chit-chat on the latest news out of Japan (Inafune quits! Mikami gets bought! Uniqlo makes t-shirts!). As a great fairy once said: "LISTEN!"

(53.7 MB) - Length: 1:18:11

8-4 Play 10/28/2010: SUPER GAME MASTERS

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NES, 8-4 invites retro gaming legend Kevin "tsr" Gifford, founder of tsr's NES archive and keeper of the world's largest collection of obscure game knowledge, to take us back (back... back...) to the 80s to talk about the birth of the era's most popular 8-Bit system. But before that, listen to round-ups of the recent Level-5 and Grasshopper events in Japan, thoughts on Costume Quest, Vanquish, Limbo, La Mulana, and Game Dev Story, and the sad tale of Mr. Gifford's epic attempt to clear the Tower of Druaga on a single coin...

(107.3 MB) - Length: 3:07:22

8-4 Play 10/14/2010: WAY OF THE WARRIOR

The demo for Monster Hunter Portable 3rd has hit Japan, and who better to discuss it with than Naughty Dog Community Strategist Arne Meyer? ...Well, just about anyone, actually. But Mr. Meyer does have plenty of interesting things to say about helping launch the Xbox and Xbox 360, working in the studio that brought us Uncharted 2, and more. Also: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Kirby's Epic Yarn, and what Japanese gamers have to say about TGS and the 3DS.

(69.0 MB) - Length: 1:40:32

8-4 Play 10/7/2010: GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE

Former Nintendo, Sega, EA, Zombie, Irem, Boss, and Enix superstar Jake Kazdal (now of indie newcomer Haunted Temple Studios) joins the 8-4-some to talk about his experiences working his way up the game industry ladder, from having the dream job of being a Nintendo game counselor in the 80's to...having the dream job of working on Space Channel 5 and Rez with Tetsuya Mizuguchi in Tokyo.

(40.9 MB) - Length: 1:11:25

8-4 Play 9/30/2010: WAIT FOR SPACEWORLD

Fresh from Nintendo's big 3DS (re-)unveiling in Tokyo, the 8-4 crew is ready to drop all kinds of knowledge on the upcoming portable picked up at and after the show. Opinions on the price and date? You got it. Breakdown of all the new hardware features? Natch. Analysis of games and other announcements? Sure. List of questions used to point out show highlights? Done.

(37.5 MB) - Length: 1:05:41

8-4 Play 9/23/2010: ASCENSION OF THE POKETRON

It's a guestacular second episode of 8-4 Play as two of the industry's finest - former EGM/1UP scribe Shane Bettenhausen (now of Ignition Entertainment) and Kojima Productions alum Ryan Payton (now of Microsoft's 343 Industries) join us to give their thoughts on this year's Tokyo Game Show, the state of the Japanese game industry, Dante's new hair, and a whole lot more.

(52.2 MB) - Length: 1:31:21

8-4 Play 9/17/2010: TOKYO GAME SHOW PANIC!

Special Guest and 1UP.com podcast-legend Garnett Lee joins the 8-4-some in a game-by-game analysis of everything at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, including Tactics Ogre, Parasite Eve, Yakuza, Castlevania, Monster Hunter, El Shaddai, Mega Man Universe, Child of Eden, and more. And before you start, be sure to listen to Weekend Confirmed Ep. 26 over at Shacknews.com to get the first half of our TGS 2010 discussion!

(48.7 MB) - Length: 1:10:55

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